Unscrewing the lid and eating the candy inside, left the plastic shell ready for a quick wash and then the containers could be joined together to make various shaped spaceships, or by using the three different spaceport sections, a large and expandable space station. The ships were sold in a counter box and at 10p each it was easy to cherry pick the ones you wanted to complete your collection.
Way back in the mid eighties, I made regular pilgrimages to newsagents and sweetshops to find as many of the little spaceport sections as I could.
The candy was horrendous and made my teeth ache just by looking at it and as I had previously made myself ill by consuming boxes of KP Outer Spacer crisps in order to get the Alien Space Fleet, I usually just emptied out the sugary contents and went straight on to building the station.
There was also a Spacefleet 2000 poster showing all the ships in the line - but i cant recall where this came from, possibly it was a mailaway.
Sometime later, I happened across a similar candy premium called Astro Fizz in the shape of a space glider type ship. This one was hastily filed in the vaults and still has the sherbet inside! Yuk..
POSTSCRIPT BY WOODSY 2015:
USA Version by Ca De Candy 1982 CD 2000 Space Fleet - small pics from an old Ebay listing [see my comment below - Woodsy - in the comments for the listing description]
These were sold in the USA around 1980, though filled with sour powdered candy, not sherbet (unless that's just what you call such candy in Merrie Olde England). I don't recall that many different shapes, but I assume that we got all of them. No recollection of any poster, though.
ReplyDeleteI remember them being sold here in the US as well, but don't remember the powder being sour. I remember being basically the pixie stick powder. Wish they would make a comeback. It was fun connecting them in different configurations.
DeleteTechnically - 'Blow Moulding' not 'Injection' (the Astro's injection)
ReplyDeleteOtherwise a fascinating post, I must have missed these during my sojourn in Germany...something else to look out for on eBay!
'Glosta'...Glue made out of 'Glooms'
YEP - 'sherbet' equates to sour flavour candy. Matlow probably licenced the designs from one of the big Candy makers like Topps etc.
ReplyDeleteOdd and interesting product.
ReplyDeleteNever arrived in Italy, otherwise I would certainly buy :)
Oh my, but I like these!
ReplyDeleteDid you ever have that Spacefleet 2000 poster, WOTAN? Toad wonders if perhaps there were advertisements for this in comics?
And Devlin, you have piqued my interest. Answers required, please. (1) What is the USA word for that sour, powdered candy you mention? And (2) to what does the word Sherbet refer in America?
Sherbert in North America refers to a frozen dessert. Similar to ice cream, but without milk
DeletePixie stix powder
DeleteToad - i did have several of the posters, they were A3 and full colour. Im 90% sure they were available as a mail in offer. But the labels which came with the sweets dont have any info on them relative to the poster. I never had one of the counter top boxes and cant recall them ever being in comics. It would have been around 1985.
ReplyDeleteLuvverly stuff Wote. Glad your back!
ReplyDeletePity you don't still have one of those posters, Wote - would like to see one. It might be worth a trawl through some late eighties comics at some point ...
ReplyDeleteAnd Toad echoes Woodsy's sentiment - so glad you are back.
good to be back in such good company chaps!
ReplyDeleteHow can I get my sticky mitts on some of these. I've checked ebay but I guess they are all in landfills :(
ReplyDeleteI have some of these from back in the day...great to find information online!
ReplyDeleteHave you got the poster?
ReplyDeleteBeen looking for these off and on FOREVER. I remember collecting them when I stayed with my Aunt one Summer in the early 80s. Does anyone happen to know what they were called (if something different) in the States? Searches of "Spaceship candy" on eBay over the years have netted zilch.
ReplyDeleteHi Tony
DeleteI have googled this and came up with an old Ebay listing - http://geb.ebay.com/ImportHubViewItem?itemid=380654274479&Ce-De-1982-CD-2000-Candy-Filled-Space-Fleet-Full-Box-24-Count-Vintage-Toy -
which described them in the USA as follows: "CD 2000 Candy Filled Space Fleet
Ce De Candy1982 USA
Full Box 24 Count. You are bidding on the vintage CD 2000 Candy Filled Space Fleet - Full Box 24 Count, made in USA in 1982 by Ce De Candy. Vintage space toy candies, sold individually at retail stores 30 years ago. 3 full boxes of this rare novelty toy have been found, apparently full and unopened. We believe the boxes to be complete.
Random assortment of space stations and vehicles include: Spaceport 101, Spaceport 711, Asteroid Miner, Cygnus Probe, Procyon Cruiser, Dorsai Raider, Orion Module and Galaxy Hotel. They really dock! Build your own Space City! Box condition is fair to good, with shelf wear, and loose perforation. Please see photos" Thise are missing from the old listing but I have found them on the net and put them on the blog. Alas, they are small. Hope this helps.
Woodsy, that's awesome! Thank you for taking the time to research that. *Very* much appreciated :D.
DeleteHi Tony, I've just discovered these Space Fleet toys by Sathers. Check them out on Etsy!
Deletehttps://www.etsy.com/listing/230491563/vintage-sathers-candy-filled-plastic?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=plastic%20rocket&ref=sr_gallery_36
Cheers
Woodsy
Great find! I wonder if Sathers acquired the molds (I see they're in different colors than the others), or if they're an off-shoot or subsidiary of Ce De Candy? The bags are definitely unique to Sathers' version, as I definitely purchased mine from a box like the ones you posted.
DeleteGo for it Tony! I bet there's more Sathers bags out there!
DeleteI just might! They're certainly cheap. On a serious G.I. Joe kick at the moment though lol.
DeleteNo probs Tony. Glad to help.
ReplyDeleteI remember these from my childhood well. I had to search the world over to find some. Still looking for more. Gonna take over the universe! Muhuhahaha!
ReplyDeleteAmazing, though I seem to remember getting versions of these which were all small plastic trains and wagons, and which would attach together - does anyone else remember those?
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I suddenly remembered these toys from the 80's. For some reason I had mistakenly remembered them as being some kind of giveaway toy from my local petrol station, but obviously now I must have been buying them from there on the way home from school. Such fun seeing these totally underwhelming toys again after 35 years. Cheers for the memories
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to get them they were costing like $0.10 each if they were made today I bet you they would be at least $2 each it's sucks that they're not around anymore
ReplyDeleteYeah, it would be great to see them in the shops again!
ReplyDelete